House passes lost, stolen firearms reporting bill

The Delaware House of Representatives passes Senate Bill 16, requiring the reporting of lost or stolen firearms.

The Delaware House of Representatives has passed Senate Bill 16, requiring the reporting of lost or stolen firearms.

With the passage of SB 16, Delaware becomes the eighth state to require the reporting of lost or stolen firearms.

The District of Columbia also requires such reporting, as do numerous cities and towns.

Senate Bill 16 will require gun owners to report the loss or theft of their firearm to police within seven days of discovering the weapon is missing. Violators will be subject to a fine of $75-$100 for a first offense and a fine of $100-$250 for a second offense. A third offense is a class G felony.

"Law enforcement tells us straw purchasers have two main excuses when the gun they purchased ends up at a crime scene: 'I lost that weapon" or 'That weapon was stolen.'" Markell said. "By requiring individuals to report their gun lost or stolen, this bill helps eliminate those excuses once and for all.

"I want to thank Sen. [Margaret Rose] Henry, Rep.[Michael] Barbieri, and other members of the General Assembly for providing law enforcement with this important tool to reduce straw purchases."

The bill passed the Delaware Senate on May 2. Markell has said he intends to sign the bill in the near future.